Deer & Deer Hunting Forums: White Tail Deer Hunting Forum

I once participated in the Missouri bow hunters wildlife survey, so they send me the data each year. Because the habitat in Missouri is so diverse across the state, I usually just look at the data for Harrison Co. (where my place is) and the surrounding counties.

Not only was I disturbed to see that Harrison was so much lower than it's neighbors in deer sightings in 2008, but the numbers re. coyotes also gave me pause.

It is interesting data, but I'm not sure how accurately it reflects deer populations and the impact upon those populations by coyotes. Without knowing how many different hunters in different settings provided the information, and how observant those reporters are with their observations, it would be hard to say that coyotes are impacting deer numbers.

I went back to deer harvest statistics for the 2008 archery season and found numbers that appear to be opposite of what the deer sightings indicate.

I wondered the same things. For example, Worth Co. offered no data which leads me to believe that they did not have a single participant in the survey. How many did Harrison have? How about the others? We don't know.

I also appreciate you providing the harvest data. I did not look that far and it offers me some comfort.

For the most part, I do not lose much sleep over coyotes and their impact on the local deer population. My concern is much more with the poachers that you and I know all too well about. I just thought it was an interesting topic to throw out.